photo by Ott Gangl and courtesy of Summit Memory/Akron-Summit County Public Library
A dog made a whimsical dance partner for an Ohio Ballet ballerina during “The Match Girl.” Late choreographer Heinz Poll, of the former Ohio Ballet, crafted a retelling of the classic story of an impoverished girl who finds comfort in beautiful visions seen in the light of matches she must sell in the winter. She envisions dancing with a dog — an unorthodox approach by Poll for the sequence that often uses a costumed performer. The girl chases happy dreams through her last matches, with the final ones illuminating visions of her loving late grandmother before she succumbs to the cold with a warm smile. It’s a bittersweet piece by an acclaimed choreographer who gifted incredible works to Greater Akron and beyond.